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NDE labor novus hic menti? Quæ
Sollicitat, rapienfque extra confinia
Cœleftes fine more jubet volitare f
Scilicet impatiens angufto hoc orbe teneri,
Fontinelle, tuos audax imitarier aufus
Geftio, & infolitas fpirant præcordia Alam
Fallor, an ipfe venit? Delapfus ab
Pegafon urget eques, laterique flagellife
Me vocat; & duris defifte laboribus, ir
“Me duce, carpe viam facilem, tibi s
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Expediam, tibi cernere erit, quos fi
"Indigenas cultufque virum, more
Nec mora, pennipedem conscendo i
(Quanquam animus fecum volvens‹
Bellerophontes pallet difpendia far
Arva, ubi fanguincæ dominantur in omnia rixæ,
Advehimur, ferro riget horrida turba, geritque
Spiculaque, gladiosque, ferosque in bella dolones.
Pro choreâ, & dulci modulamine, Pyrrhicus illis
Saltus, & horribiles placet ære ciere fonores.
Hic conjux viduata viro longo effera luctu
Flet noctem, folumque torum fterilefque Hymenæos
Deplorans, lacerat crines, & pectora plangit :
Nequicquam --fponfus ni fortè appareat, hospes
Heu! brevis, in fomnis, & ludicra fallat imago.
Immemor ille tori interea ruit acer in hoftem:
Horrendum ftrepit armorum fragor undique campis ;
Atque immortales durant in fæcula pugnæ.
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Hine Jovis immenfum delati accedimus orbem.
Illic mille locis exercet fæva tyrannus
Imperia in totidem fervos, totidemque rebelles :
Sed brevis exercet: parat illi fata veneno
Thence the dire coaft we reach, the dreary plains,
Where Mars, grim god, and bloody difcord reigns. 70
The hoft in arms embattled fternly stands,
The fword, the dart, the dagger, in their hands.
Here no fair nymphs to filver founds advance,
But buskin'd heroes form the Pyrrhic dance.
And brazen trumpets, terrible from far,
With martial mufic fire the foul to war.
Here the lone bride bewails her abfent lord,
The fterile nuptials, the deserted board,
Sighs the long nights, and, frantic with despair,
Beats her bare breast, and rends her flowing hair:
In vain fhe fighs, in vain diffolves in tears---
In fleep, perhaps, the warrior lord appears,
A fleeting form that glides before her fight,
A momentary vision of the night.
Mean while, regardless of her anxious pray'r,
The hardy husband fternly stalks to war;
Our ears the clang of ringing armour rends,
And the immortal battle never ends.
Hence thro' the boundless void we nimbly move,
And reach the wide-extended plains of Jove.
Here the ftern tyrant fways an iron rod;
A thousand vaffals tremble at his nod.
How short the period of a tyrant's date!
The pois'nous phial speeds the work of fate:
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Perjurus, populofque premit novus ipfe tyrannus.
Hi decies pacem figunt pretio atque refigunt:
Tum demum arma parant: longe lateque cohortes
Extenduntur agris; fimul æquora tota teguntur
Claffibus, & ficti celebrantur utrinque triumphi.
Fædera mox ineunt nunquam violanda; brevique
Belli iterum fimulachra cient; referuntur in altum
Claffes, pacificoque replentur milite campi.
Filius hic patri meditatur, fponfa marito,
Servus hero infidias. Has leges fcilicet illis
Impofuit natura locis, quo tempore patrem
Jupiter ipfe fuum folio detrufit avito.
Inde venena viris, perjuria, munera, fraudes
Suadet opum fitis, & regnandi dira cupido.
Saturni tandem nos illætabilis ora
Accipit: ignavum pecus hic per opaca locorum
Pinguefcunt de more, gravi torpentque veterno.
Vivitur in fpecubus: quis enim tam fedulus, arces
Qui ftruat ingentes, operofaque mænia condat?
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